Building the Ultimate Fan Experience Behind the Scenes

San Francisco 49ers

Customer Snapshot:Overview

Collecting data on 70,000 fans per game

A nickname given to gold miners from the mid 1800’s has become the namesake for one of the most successful franchises in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers. Heading back to the top in recent years with Alex Smith, Frank Gore and a fearsome defense was only the beginning, as the 49ers erected a new 68,500-seat stadium in Santa Clara, CA in 2014.

Upon moving to its new home, the team’s staffing needs grew from 125 full- and part-time employees to more than 1,200 over one off-season. To handle that meteoric growth in such a short time, the 49ers turned to SAP for everything the team does, from managing employees to optimizing the fan experience.

Levi's Stadium

Cost: $1.2 billion US

Covers: 1.85 million square feet

Seats: ~68,500

Features: 165 luxury suites & 8,500 club seats

Customer Snapshot:History

1944

Tony Morabito agrees to start an All American Football Conference franchise in San Francisco

1989

1994

2000

Ownership of the team transfers from Edward J DeBartolo Jr. to his sister Denise DeBartolo York

2012

49ers break ground on Santa Clara Stadium. SAP partnership announced.

2015

Levi’s Stadium named 2015 Sports Facility of the Year by Sports Business Journal & 2015 Venue of the Year by The Stadium Business Awards in Barcelona, Spain

2016

Levi’s Stadium set to host Super Bowl 50

The San Francisco 49ers football franchise is one of the premier organizations in all of sports. The 49ers have consistently been among the top teams in the National Football League for the last several decades. Six times they have gone to the Super Bowl – and five of those times returned with championship rings to show for their efforts. Recently the team built a spectacular new stadium in nearby Santa Clara, California. With this new venue came responsibility for running a lot more than the 10 football games a year it hosted in the past. Levi’s® Stadium is also the site for many other kinds of sporting events plus concerts, a museum, catered events, retail operations, and much more.

Customer Snapshot:Business Model

Partners from the Beginning

The 49ers and SAP established a partnership at the onset of planning for the new stadium. As part of the agreement, the team’s practice facility, located directly adjacent to the new stadium, has been named the SAP Performance Facility.

SAP supports the 49ers year-round with innovative technology solutions to help them run all facets of operation—taking the fan experience to the next level.

Customer Snapshot:Success Strategy

The Power of Teamwork

The SF 49ers’ goal is to be the best team in the National Football League both on and off the field. They are looking to grow the organization from 125 full-time and part-time employees to more than 1,200 in one off-season and optimize the fan experience. They are also seeking to make everyone's jobs easier to drive a more efficient work environment by helping each and every employee grow and succeed.

Building a strong, supportive team behind the team.

The Challenge

Creating a First-Class Fan Experience Behind the Scenes

There’s a lot of data that can be collected on 70,000 connected fans per game to help a team build a more relevant fan experience for everyone, but collecting and tracking that data requires a high-tech solution. A fan base that large also requires a whole lot of personnel on-site and behind the scenes. The 49ers looked to SAP to manage the growth resulting from their expansion and success and help them stay ahead of the data.

With SAP solutions in place, the 49ers are now well positioned for a successful experience for all the fans at the game.

A management team that’s always looking for ways to make their employees’ jobs easier.

All we had in the past were our old paper-based methods for signing people up, processes that took hours we didn’t have. We knew there’s no way to manage that kind of overnight growth without technology, the kind of technology you can only get from a world-class partner.— Al Guido, Chief Operating Officer, San Francisco 49ers

Enter SAP

Partnering for a Winning Fan Experience

A winning experience for fans is more than just winning on the field. To create the ultimate fan experience, the 49ers quest for the best led them to the SAP® Jam™ social software platform for their complex social media management and SuccessFactors, an SAP company, for their rapidly expanding human capital management needs.

Without SAP I don’t think we could have built our spectacular new football stadium. In fact, we wouldn’t be where we are in many ways. We couldn’t be prouder of our relationship.— Al Guido, Chief Operating Officer, San Francisco 49ers

Enter SAP:The SAP Experience

Creating a Winning Solution in the Cloud

In just 3 months, the 49ers implemented a self-service recruiting system that eliminated paper with SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting solutions, consolidated employee information with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, and contributed to personalized employee development with SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals in a completely cloud-based solution. They also implemented SAP Jam to keep employees connected with real-time information during game-time to further optimize the fan experience.

From hiring to managing to fulfilling game-day responsibilities, SuccessFactors helps get the job done more efficiently.

Better Business

Open channels of communication keep things running through game day and beyond.

HR tools from SAP allow us to create a better culture for employees and fans. That is one of the most important things we do.— Al Guido, Chief Operating Officer, San Francisco 49ers.

Better Business:Benefits

More Informed Business Decisions Creates a Win-Win for Fans and Business

Business Intelligence from SAP enables the organization to customize every aspect of the fan experience from which restrooms nearby are available to which parking lot is closest to their seats. The information gathered through the new SAP system teaches them what their fans buy, where and when they buy it, and why they buy it, helping them cater to their fans’ needs and desires to boost the fan experience and maximize their revenue stream.

Better Business:Run Simple

With centralized data at their fingertips, Managers can make long-term and on-the-spot decisions that help move the bottom line of the company ever forward.

Journey Ahead

Winter, Spring, Summer, & Fall Training for Everyone

Next up for the San Francisco 49ers is employee training through the SAP SuccessFactors Learning solution. Better training will create an even more engaged workforce to support the company’s overall initiatives and strategies for success.